You know, I could have started out this story with "It was a dark and stormy night," but there are two problems with that. One, it's so cliché even Disney doesn't use it anymore. And two, it wasn't true. In fact, it was a rather pleasant and warm night. My father and I were just leaving the theater after watching the performance of Hamlet by this particular town's local Shakespeare group for the fourth time that week. The theater parking lot was nearly empty. We'd stayed late again to talk to the performers again. My father and I were extreme lovers of theater, especially classical Shakespeare. He'd even been hired to directed my high school's performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream where I'd been cast as Oberon.

"You know, each performance gets better," he said as we headed to his old and battered Chevy truck.

"Oh hell yes it does!" I said enthusiastically. "Hamlet's soliloquy this time around was nearly perfect."

"Agreed. The only mistake I found was when he seemed to stammer when he reached 'That patient merit' line." He looked at his watch. "Damn, I didn't realize that it was this late. Want to go get some fast food?"

I checked my wallet and winced. "As long as we're going to a place with a cheap value menu," I said. "I just spent nearly the rest of my spending money for the month."

"Don't worry, I got you covered," Dad said.

"No, it's really okay Dad," I said. "I don't want to relieve you of your money."

"Then how about I do it for the both of you?" A new voice said. Jumping out from behind Dad's truck, a hooded figure aimed what looked like a gun at us. The voice sounded female. "Hand over your wallets now and no one gets hurt." A second assailant stepped out of the shadows and aimed a weapon at us as well.

Both of us raised our hands slowly. "Okay, okay, there's no need to shoot. We'll cooperate," my dad said calmly. I was decidedly less calm than he sounded but I wasn't going to show it. "My wallet's in my back pocket."

"Mine's in my backpack," I added.

The first figure turned to her partner and motioned them forward. The second assailant, who appeared to be female as well, cautiously approached and patted my father down first, removing his wallet from his back pocket. She came over to me next. "Where's yours?" she asked.

"Top pocket," I said, keeping still. She unzipped it and pulled it out.

The second woman returned to the first and opened the wallets. She looked at us and I could see the disgust in her eyes. "This is chump change! Where's the rest of it!?"

"Rest of what? I don't have anymore money," I said truthfully.

"Neither do I," Dad said.

"Liar!" The second woman shouted. I wondered then if the two of them were on something. They rummaged through our wallets. "Where's your credit cards?"

"I don't have any," I said. This was also true. My father and I were homeless and made money by doing odd jobs around town. We both lived in the back of the truck. At one time my father had been a prominent analyst at a company called Underwood Samson, a New York based company whose main job was valuing other companies and helping them increase their sales. However, he'd been fired the year prior on false charges of embezzlement. He'd only escaped jail time when evidence was brought out that he was improperly arrested, but the damage had been done. No other company would hire him despite his nearly twenty years of faithful service to the company. The house he owned was foreclosed on and the two of us were immediately homeless. I tried to get as many jobs as I could to help pay for gas and food money.

Despite everything, my dad and I remained close. Mom had divorced my dad immediately after the trial and had moved back in with her parents. My dad and I just sold what little we had and bought a truck with it. We began to live in the truck, traveling around the US, living off the money we made doing the various odd jobs we were given.

"Come on, cough up the money!" the first assailant shouted.

"We don't have anymore unless you count the spare change in the car," Dad said.

The first woman smashed the driver's side of the car window and opened the truck door, looking all around the cabin for our spare change while the second one kept her weapon on us. "Don't get any funny ideas about escaping, Charles."

Alarms began going off in my head. How did she know my dad's name? She wasn't the one who looked at my dad's ID earlier. I didn't react, only kept my hands on my head. The second woman pulled out her phone and made a call. I couldn't understand what she was saying, but it didn't sound like good news for us. A few moments later a very new black car drove out of the darkness towards us. She held her gun to our heads. "Get in now."

Dad and I looked at each other slowly. Both of us knew that you should never let anyone get you in a car in such a situation. With a subtle nod the both of us rushed the second woman, knocking her over. Her gun rattled to the ground. I kicked it as I ran past. I heard the first woman call out angrily. Gunshots rang out in the night as we ran.

Suddenly I felt a stinging pain in my stomach. It felt like I'd been stabbed through the gut with a white-hot pipe. I collapsed to my knees.

"Damian!" My father stopped running and turned to help.

"Run Dad!" I shouted, but it was too late. A shot rang out and he paused mid-stride. Blood trickled down his face from the new gaping hole in his forehead. All the life when out of his eyes and he fell, crashing hard to the ground.

"Damn it, Karen!" one of the women said as they approached. "I told you we needed them alive!"

"I'm sorry, Carol," someone said. "I was aiming for his shoulder!"

Wait, Karen? It couldn't be…her. I turned and saw the last woman I ever wanted to see. "Karen…you…?"

Karen, my father's ex-wife, stood above me. She spat. "You're such a fool, Damian. You and that worthless father of yours."

With every ounce of strength I had, I pushed myself up and lunged for her. Another shot rang out and I felt my chest almost explode. Blood came up and I coughed it up. I fell down.

"CAROL!" my mother grabbed me and slapped my face. "You're not dying on me, bastard!"

Despite myself, I spat at her. "See you…in hell…"

"No!"

Black spots formed around my vision. The last I saw of my mother was her rage filled face.

"…ien? Damian?"

I gasped. Sitting up quickly, I clutched my chest, but to my surprise there was no pain. "What…? What happened?"

"Oh good, you're finally awake," a familiar voice said.

I turned and saw my father sitting next to me. "Dad? What…?" I began to remember more about what happened. "It was her…Karen."

"Yeah, I knew who it was the moment I heard her voice," Dad said. He shook his head. "Well, there's no point in thinking about that now." He looked around. "We have to find out where we are."

It was then that I became fully aware of my surroundings. We were in a pure white expanse. The floor was solid and smooth and went on as far as the eye could see. "So, we're dead then?"

My dad chuckled. "Looks like it."

"How can you be so blasé about it?! We were just murdered in cold blood!" I felt an unholy anger rise within me suddenly.

"Damian, calm down. What can we do about it?" Dad's tone was calm but also stern. "She made her choice. What matters is that we're together." He ruffled my hair. "I'm plenty angry about it too, but there's no sense in worrying."

At those words, my anger began to slowly subside. "I know you're right, it's just…" I looked down at myself. I was still wearing the same clothes as I had been when I was…killed. I still couldn't believe it. I was dead, so where was I? What afterlife was this? "How long have you been here, Dad?"

"A few minutes ago, I think. Then you appeared lying there. I've been trying to wake you up for the past half hour."

I stood and stretched. I didn't feel any pain or soreness. Normally I felt sore from sleeping on a hard mat in the back of the truck, but that soreness was gone. Well, I suppose that's only natural. I wasn't really in my body, after all. Was I? "So, what now? Do we just pick a direction and go?"

"I guess?" Dad said, sounding unsure. "Yeah, let's just do that." He grabbed his coat and put it on. "Huh, you know I feel like I slept on a bed of clouds. My aches and pains are gone."

"Well, we are dead," I reminded him. "Maybe that means were in a good afterlife?"

He chuckled. "Maybe. Or maybe we're in a neutral afterlife."

As we walked, the two of us began to hypothesize about where we might be. We bounced around ideas. "Hey, maybe we're in the Halls of Mandos!" I joked.

"Nerd," Dad said.

"Look at the pot calling the kettle black!" I laughed. Somehow it felt good to be laughing after being fatally shot. Dad joined in.

"What about a place for reincarnated souls?" Dad said.

"You're partly right, Mr. Cancian," a disembodied voice said.

My father and I looked around, trying to find the source of the voice, but it came from all around us. "Who are you?" Dad asked. I recognized the tone he used. He only used it at his former job, but I heard it often enough when he had impromptu conference calls on days off.

"I have many names and many ways to be identified," the voice replied. "Call me what you will, my true name I will not share."

"Okay fine," Dad said. "Where are we?"

"In terms you can comprehend, a waiting room would be as apt an explanation as any. However, I don't normally speak to souls in such a manner." There was a flash of white brighter than our surroundings and a figure clad in all white stood before us. There was an androgynous look about the being, so much so that I couldn't tell whether they were male or female. "Is this better?"

Clearly a bit startled, my dad said "Well, yes I suppose so."

"So wait, are we going to be reincarnated?" I asked, a bit scared.

The being was suddenly seated in a desk. Two chairs appeared in front of them. "Please take a seat. There are a few things I need to talk to you about."

Dad and I looked at each other. He shrugged and took a seat. I was a bit more hesitant but took a seat anyway. "So, what do you need to talk about?" I asked.

The being smiled. "Yes you died, and yes you two will be reincarnated, but not in the traditional sense. You two won't be literally reborn. You will have your ages reversed like so."

I suddenly watched as everything got bigger around me. Looking at my fingers I realized that it wasn't everything that got bigger, I'd simply gotten smaller. My hands were a bit pudgier and my peach fuzz beard was gone. I was no longer the nineteen-year-old young man I had been. When I looked up at my dad, I was surprised to see he was younger as well. He was still his adult height but he looked trimmer as well. "Now then, I am going to send you two into what you might call a parallel world. You will have similar backstories as the ones here, but your ex-wife will be less, shall we say, crazy."

"That's a plus, I suppose," I said. My voice was higher and more childlike now, but I was too focused on what was happening to care.

"Also, the two of you will be living in Japan."

"Whoa, wait a minute! Why there?!" I asked. "Dad and I don't speak Japanese!"

"Calm down, Damian," Dad said. He then turned to the being. "He has a point, though."

"There's no need to worry about the language barrier," the being said. "When you wake up in the new world, you will both be perfectly bilingual. You will be living in a two bedroom apartment. It will be the beginning of spring, just about the time when school starts for Japanese children. You'll have a week to get acclimated. I've arranged for you to be offered a job similar to the one you had in your old world, Charles. And as for you Damian, you'll be attending elementary school there."

I sighed. "Guess that makes sense." Not that I was looking forward to it. I'd not liked school at all. I'd done about average, but that was about it. As I thought about it, though, a thought occurred to me. This could be a chance for me to renew myself. Start fresh and put more effort into my studies. Maybe even become more athletic.

"You've got the right idea, Damian. Reinventing yourselves is one way you can make the most of your new life." the being said.

"Did you read my mind?" I asked, a bit miffed at the breach of privacy.

"It's hard not to," the being chuckled. "Anyway, I should mention that this special option the two of you have is completely voluntary. If you don't want to you'll simply be reincarnated the normal way, but you will lose all your current memories. If you need time to think it over, go ahead. Call me back when you've made your decision."

The being vanished, but I had a feeling they were still around. My dad leaned back in his chair. "Well, that was a lot to take in all at once."

"No kidding," I said. Looking down at myself I noticed for the first time that my clothes had also shrunk.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to live again, but living in Japan and doing what I'd done before?" He rubbed his eyes.

"Couldn't we ask that person for another job for you?" I asked. Dad didn't talk about it much, but I could tell the way he lost his job had traumatized him. It wouldn't be easy for him to go back to that line of work. Dad was an intelligent man and certainly could find a job in another profession if he set his mind to it.

"No, I'm willing to give that job a second chance," he said after a few seconds. "Besides, I was pretty good at my job remember?" He flashed me a smile.

I shook my head and chuckled. "Well, I mean you were, if Karen hadn't screwed you over you'd be president." I clutched my fists. I hated that woman, and the fact that she existed in the new world in some sense was nearly enough to make me just choose the normal reincarnation. However, I didn't want to lose my memories.

"That life is over for us," Dad said. "I think…I'd like to try this special opportunity."

"Mmm, yeah I guess that makes two of us," I agreed. "Yeah, I don't want to lose my memories."

"An excellent decision!" the being said, suddenly appearing in their chair again. "And no need to worry, your names will remain the same, your official paperwork will be in order and you'll have identical pasts, save for an earlier divorce. Think of that as a favor to you," the being said with a wink. He waved and white mist began to form around us. "You'll have everything you need on the other side!" they called out as they vanished into the mist.

Everything went immediately black…

Pizzicato strings, soon joined by a flute. After a few seconds I hear a female voice say "Doki Doki!", then drums and a piano join in. The beat is very catchy and if I could move I'd be bobbing my head. One thing I notice though is that some of the piano parts sound a bit off key. Almost discorded…The song ends…

I woke up with a start, looking up at an unfamiliar ceiling. It was a bit dark, but outside I heard what sounded like birds chirping. I sat up and rubbed my eyes clear of the cobwebs. The room I found myself in was a bit smaller than the room I'd had when I still lived in a house, but I recognized some of my old belongings. I saw a bunch of boxes lying around near a corner as well. "Guess we just moved in?" I said to myself as I turned on the light. I saw that I had a small twin bed with a desk right next to it. On the desk was an older PC pushed to the side as well as a place to write. I had a small TV on a stand next to the desk facing my bed with a DVD/VCR player on top of it. Opposite the foot of my bed there was a closet, and next to the foot of the bed I had my old bookcase back, with books and toys spread out across it.

I was almost lost in nostalgia when there was a knock on my door. "Damian? You awake?"

"Yes."

"Can I come in?"

I chuckled. "Sure Dad."

He walked in slowly. "Oh wow, I remember a lot of this stuff," he said, looking around. "It was nice of that guy to give you all this back."

"Yeah," I said, still feeling a bit unsure and suspicious about the being who'd sent us here. "Hey Dad, do you know what day it is today?"

"The calendar on the kitchen counter I found earlier said it was March 27, 2005," Dad replied.

"2005? So I'm…let's see, six years old now."

"And I'm thirty five again," Dad said. "It's nice to be younger. Maybe I should take better care of my body this time around."

"What, and miss Fast Food Friday?" I chuckled.

Dad laughed and ruffled my hair. "Oh you. Well, why don't we look around our new place?"

The apartment was definitely different than anything I'd seen in America. I didn't know too much about Japanese etiquette, but I decided to study up on it, but one thing I found odd was the fact that the toilet was in a room all by itself. The shower and bath room was extremely unusual as well. There was a larger television in our living room along with another newer looking DVD/VHS combo box. We had a small couch and a reclining chair.

"Well, so much for cooking a full-sized pizza," Dad said when we explored the kitchen. We had a microwave and a small oven, but not a full-sized oven. We only had two burners, and those were gas.

"And a rice cooker?" I added, looking at the older model of rice cooker next to the burners. "Well, I guess this is Asia." I assumed we'd be eating a lot more Asian food than normal, but in the year since we'd been homeless I'd learned not to be too picky. "Suppose I should learn how to use chopsticks too."

"It's not as hard as it looks," Dad said. He looked down at me then snickered. "Then again, with your chubby hands, it'll be a challenge."

"Hey!" My face went hot with embarrassment, but my dad's laughter caused me to break into a grin and laugh along with him. "Yeah yeah," I said. My stomach chose that moment to growl at me. "I suppose now's as good a time as any to practice," I said before Dad could make another joke.

"Mmm, I'm not in the mood for anything Asian right now," Dad said. "Why don't we try to find some place that has burgers?"

I rolled my eyes. "What about eating healthy?"

Dad laughed. "We've just come back from the dead. I think we both deserve to stuff our faces today."

"Okay fine Dad, but starting tomorrow we eat healthy. Deal?"

Dad nodded. "We'll go grocery shopping after we eat."

At that moment there was a knock at the door. Dad and I turned quickly to the door. "Who could that be?" I whispered.

"Mail?" Dad wondered. "I'll go check." He went and answered the door, I followed a bit behind him.

An older and quite lovely Japanese woman stood at the door. She wore along white skirt and a pale green blouse. "Ah hello," she said in English, "I'm sorry to come by so early. My name is Hiroko Takanashi. I saw you moving in a couple of days ago and wanted to come over and welcome you to Japan." She bowed.

"Oh, well thank you!" Dad said, bowing back. "My name is Charles Cancian. This is my son Damian."

I bowed as well. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Takanashi."

She laughed. "Such a polite young man. And it's actually Mrs. Takanashi."

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said.

"Ahaha, don't be. I'm flattered you think I'm so young. Anyway, my daughter and I came by to say hello. Come out dear."

A young girl with bright brown hair came out from behind Hiroki's skirt. She was wearing a simple white summer dress and a straw hat. Her eyes were a very cute emerald green and she wore a white bow in her ponytail. "Hey there!" she said with a grin. "I'm Monika! Nice to meet you!"

Another insert into DDLC, only this time the OC doesn't know a thing about the game. Enjoy this first chapter.

morbiusgreen.